The Story of Brett: Reexamined

[Nezahualcoyotl]

We all know the story of Brett (and Brett's mom), the kid who supposedly committed suicide due to his use of Salvia divinorum, it's been a few years nice since this incident.... let's take another look...

(INCOMPLETE, HELP ME BY POSTING ARTICLES ABOUT BRETT WHICH ARE FAIR, UNBIASED OR SHOW SALVIA IN A GOOD LIGHT)

[Hero4Evz]

I think we should post both sides of the story, just explain the viewpoint of the article. If you only look at one side of it you come up with a bias opinion just like the articles we dislike. We should note the poor press Brett's death has caused along with the fair news articles that examine the incident in an unbiased light. That way we can criticize/learn from both sides of the story.

[Nezahualcoyotl]

I said any fair, unbiased AND one's that show Salvia divinorum in a good light (those are hard to find and we need a few)!

[Yossaria]

I'm going to have to agree a bit with Hero4Evz on this one - I think although ill-founded and (often) blatantly incorrect, we do owe it to fairness to examine both fair and biased articles on the issue.

However, although I understand that Brett's death spurred Delaware's Brett's Law, I think this discussion is beginning to veer away from law-related issues.  Watch the discussion, please, or I'll lock the topic.

[Nezahualcoyotl]

Please don't lock it, just move it.

[psyche]

We all know the story of Brett (and Brett's mom), the kid who supposedly committed suicide due to his use of Salvia divinorum, it's been a few years nice since this incident.... let's take another look...

(INCOMPLETE, HELP ME BY POSTING ARTICLES ABOUT BRETT WHICH ARE FAIR, UNBIASED OR SHOW SALVIA IN A GOOD LIGHT)

it cant be unbiased if the aim is to show salvia in a good light

[magna_ryan]

We all know the story of Brett (and Brett's mom), the kid who supposedly committed suicide due to his use of Salvia divinorum, it's been a few years nice since this incident.... let's take another look...

(INCOMPLETE, HELP ME BY POSTING ARTICLES ABOUT BRETT WHICH ARE FAIR, UNBIASED OR SHOW SALVIA IN A GOOD LIGHT)

it cant be unbiased if the aim is to show salvia in a good light

Actually, I think if its truly unbiased it has to show salvia in a good light.
As what really happened is that he was trying to prevent it with salvia, and the real cause is unknown, but could be anything from his meds, to his parents, to just his depression, to anything else in his life, possibly salvia, although extremely unlikely as it usually prevents depression.

I think that shows salvia in a pretty good light. But of course I doubt I could write a truly unbiased article, as I am for salvia.

I think any true unbiased article would show salvia in a good light though.

[Nezahualcoyotl]

it cant be unbiased if the aim is to show salvia in a good light

Ok screw being unbiased, we're a Salvia site (this is Salvia Source, right?) so we should show Salvia divinorum in a good light!

[benderhune]

Here ya go kids, a feature article I wrote for my Journalism class, I haven't published it yet because it's not relevent completely for my area yet but I eventually will after some further editing.  My name is an alias for obvious reasons.  If you publish under your own name without my permission, I have evidence to show it's mine and I will sue.


Zebulon Pike
12/07/09
Journalism 1
Feature Article
Salvia Divinorum, The *Legal* Hallucinogen

   Salvia Divinorum is a plant that has existed for a long time, but the exact age is unknown.  It contains a drug called Salvinorin A, which is the strongest naturally occurring hallucinogen known to man.  The kicker is that this plant is legal in the United States.  Salvia Divinorum is frequently called by it's genus name, Salvia, but this is not to be confused with any other plant under the Salvia genus, as they do not contain any hallucinogenic drugs. 
   The plant was originally collected from the Oaxaca mountains in Mexico where it was tended to by natives, the indigenous Mazatec shamans that live in said mountains.  It is not known whether or not the plant grows anywhere naturally; Salvia Divinorum is known as a cultigen, which means it only grows from human aid.  It is generally grown indoors due to the specific humid and warm climate required, but can easily be grown outdoors seasonally or year round climate permitting.
   Salvia is most frequently, in U.S. cultures, ingested by smoking it.  Extractions of Salvinorin A, the active content of the Salvia plant, are added to plain leaf to increase the quantity of Salvinorin A.  Extractions, also called extracts, are more potent and cause more extreme effects without having to smoke as much, which is why it is the preferred method.  The extract is marked as 5x, 10x, 15x, and so on, 10x extract is sufficient enough to give most people moderately intensive hallucinations, however, it does not generally induce visionary effects.  Extracts go as high in potency as around 80x, it is rarely ever higher than.  Higher extracts tend to give people the legendary hallucinations that people hear about.  Salvia can also be chewed, which causes longer effects but they're not as strong.  Around 5 leaves must be chewed simultaneously for roughly 40 minutes in order to invoke an effect.  Salvinorin A must be sublingually ingested to get an effect using this method, meaning it must be absorbed through the mouth, swallowing the leaves does not invoke an effect.  Tinctures can also be made, which is when alcohol is used to extract the Salvinorin A from the leaf and is then suspended.
   According to Daniel Siebert, an ethnobotanist who has the most extensive collection of information on Salvia Divinorum, “Salvinorin A is the most potent naturally occurring vision inducer. Salvinorin A is not an alkaloid--its molecule contains only carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Technically it is a neoclerodane diterpenoid. Salvinorin A is a unique vision inducing substance, of great power. It is not an analog of any other drug.”   There is roughly 2.5mg of Salvinorin A per gram in a full sized leaf.  Salvinorin A, however, effects people with a wide variety regardless of how many times it has been used, meaning that a single leaf could cause moderate effects to a person (though not full hallucinations,) but this is not the case for many.
   Salvia Divinorum is a very bland, inconspicuous looking plant with no distinctive smell or appearance and does not require any grow lights or special care other than maintaining proper temperature and humidity levels.  It can grow indoors as a house plant by a window because it does not require a large amount of light.  It  looks likes just about every other type of plant in the Salvia genus that do not contain Salvinorin A.  This means that people who grow it are not likely to be hunted down for the “war on drugs” as it is near impossible to be indentified without a large knowledge of the minute details that Salvia Divinorum has, which requires a person to physically by right in front of it.
   Salvia Divinorum induced hallucinations are not quite as people imagine a “trip” to be.  It is, as stated by Siebert, very introspective.  People have reported to have lost connection to their current reality and enter into a whole new one, as if traveling through different dimensions within the universe.  It is said to be more so a philosopher's tool to explore the contents of their minds, rather than something done recreationally or as an escapist drug like Cannabis and Alcohol.
   Daniel Siebert stated that “I don't come across very many people who want to use Salvia regularly, it's not something that lends itself to frequent use, it tends to produce a kind of experience that you need to digest for a while.  It's not something you want to do frequently, generally speaking you can't count on it being a fun experience, it's more like a serious journey like mountain climbing, it's not something you like every day.”
   Many people have reported that after having no positive response to common anti-depression drugs, Salvia experiences, or even just one experience, has caused their depression to be alleviated.
Siebert reported that, “The Mazatec Indians take it when somebody is sick, or if somebody has problems in their lives and they want to try and find the cause of the problems that they're dealing with.  It's a remarkable tool for reflection and for useful insights.”  This is the exact opposite of a case reporting Salvia to be the cause of a teenager's suicide.
   Brett Chidester, a 17 year old Delaware resident committed suicide in 2006 after having experimented with it several times previous to his death.  His parents believe that his depression was caused by Salvia because he claimed that after using it a few times, he came to the conclusion that life was pointless.  This, however, is a typical feeling many people may feel, and is often just blown off as “teenage-angst,” as such thoughts typically are forgotten.  Chidester had previous mental issues that were not noted when the media reported on Salvia negatively.  Salvia Divinorum is not known to cause any depressant effects, but it may have enhanced his already existent issues.  This is what sparked the legislative trends to ban the Salvia in various states, though if this mentality was used for alcohol, it would have been banned 2 million times each year in the United States alone.
   In an interview with Rob Dougherty, a chapter leader of NORML in Philadelphia PA, he stated, “Salvia Divinorum is far from a party drug, if anything, it's the antithesis of it.  I feel that Salvia should remain legal just as long as it's used responsibly by adults, not teenagers looking for an escape, because Salvia will certainly not give it to you.”
   Salvia was brought to the states in the 1960's but remained largely unheard of until the last decade.  The advent of the internet brought the plant into the mainstream, making it readily available to anyone with a credit card.  Videos of people hallucinating on Salvia on the internet, most notably on Youtube, have increased the awareness of the drug, and have also given it a bad name. 
Kevin Sack of the New York Times said about the Youtube trend, “...these very images that have helped popularize Salvia may also hasten its demise and undermine the promising research into its possible medical uses.”
   People who have little knowledge of the drug, misusing it as a recreational drug in extremely highly potent forms, post videos of themselves looking foolish, which also gives it negative misconceptions.  Legislations have been pushing to have the plant made illegal judging by nothing more than these videos, rather than any scientific studies.  The plant is not known to be poisonous to humans, it nor has it been known to be capable of allowing humans to overdose on it.
   Despite the awareness though, Salvia Divinorum is not a widely used drug.  According to Siebert, “The drug isn't popular because it isn't something people want to do with much frequency.  It's an intensely introspective experience...so it's not suitable for parties or clubs and you don't want to be out around a whole lot of people, you want to be in a private environment that you feel safe comfortable and secure.  It's not something you do for a good time and the drugs that catch on in popularity are the ones that tend to lend themselves to social situations.  The problem is that the media keeps broadcasting or writing stories about Salvia so they're doing anymore more to bring it up above the radar.”
   Salvia, though federally legal, is slowly on it's way towards complete country-wide illegality.  Currently, it is illegal to buy, sell, use, or grow Salvia Divinorum in Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Virginia; many other states are contemplating classifying it as a Schedule 1 drug.  If you live in any other state, it is legal to buy Salvia and is most frequently purchased online, a simple search on the internet will provide you with a multitude of companies to purchase it from.
   Salvia Divinorum may have possible medical benefits and it is currently under research as to what benefits it may have.  However, if it is made illegal nation-wide, any possible discoveries of possible health benefits will never be known.

[Nezahualcoyotl]

Thanks for posting! Keep them coming!

[CoryDeLarge]

Zebulon Pike

Dude where do you live? There is a place called Zebulon Pike like 20 mins from where I live.

[Nezahualcoyotl]

My name is an alias for obvious reasons.  If you publish under your own name without my permission, I have evidence to show it's mine and I will sue.

Pffft... geeze.

Just so y'all know all my work can be reproduced without my permission! Anti-copyright!

[benderhune]

Pffft... geeze.

Just so y'all know all my work can be reproduced without my permission! Anti-copyright!

I doubt you'll be publishing anything on anything other than a forum board though, where as this shit's my life.


And Zebulon Pike was the name of an American explorer from the 1800's, which I'm sure is who the place you're refering to, cory, is named after. 

[nitelife]

It contains a drug called Salvinorin A, which is the strongest naturally occurring hallucinogen known to man.

I wouldn't refer to salvinorin A as a "drug" like you do a few times in this article, it tends to give people a bad perspective on anything when you call it a drug. I'd refer to it as a compound, or a more scientific name if you want to. Also- I'm not sure that it is the strongest naturally occuring hallucinogen known to man- LSD is much stronger, longer, and requires less mg's of LSD than you would of salvinorin.
Other than that, it seems like a pretty good write up. What are you planning to do with this?

[Nezahualcoyotl]

Mg?! You'd be tripping REALLY hard if you took a mg of LSD-25.

Try ug or microgram.

Salvia divinorum is a drug, but I prefer to call it a psychoactive or entheogen.

I'm not sure that it is the strongest naturally occuring hallucinogen known to man

Ya this is BS and just an opinion at best.

I doubt you'll be publishing anything on anything other than a forum board though, where as this shit's my life.

I already have a book published, no I won't tell you which ones cause then you'd know my name

I'm transferring to the university of HI next semester to get my degree in ethnobotany... ethnobotany (this shit?) is my life as well, Mr.Man.

I still say anti-copyright for ANYTHING I post on the internet... to me it's silly to put things on the internet and try to tell people not to reproduce it... you wanna copyright, then publish a book!

BTW I copied your paper to like a 100 other forums